I received a less-than-happy phone message from a regular reader on Sunday — restricted phone number, no name — who said she did not. She was disappointed with this newspaper’s coverage in the St. Paul mayor’s race and had no idea what would be on her ballot.

This took me by surprise, considering the 65 or more articles we’ve published on the mayoral election over the past year or so. In fact, I had just gotten through reading a flattering email from a nonsubscriber who “has not read the Pioneer Press in a while (and) went online to look for info on the mayoral candidates. May I say what substantial, nuanced and complex stuff.”

It took me a moment to reconcile the two messages in my wee head, but then I got it. In a busy race with 10 mayoral candidates on the ballot, print readers take in information much differently than online readers. There’s a wealth of information to be had about these 10 candidates, and it’s easily available to Internet users wading through social media links and days of articles in one sitting. For print readers, not so much.

These are good candidates who are well worth the read. Many, though not all, worked hard to make it to Election Day. They’ve taken tough questions in front of tough audiences at nearly 30 mayoral forums.

And even the least electable of the bunch have important perspectives to share on pressing topics like homelessness and business ownership in St. Paul.

2017 Minnesota voters guide

For those just tuning in, here’s a recap: When St. Paul voters walk into the ballot booth today, they’ll be asked to pick three candidates for three school board openings, and six candidates for the mayor’s seat. Be sure to fill out both sides of the ballot. There are no ballot questions.

You read that right — you can rank six mayoral candidates on your ballot in order of preference. Because it takes time to redistribute ballots, the final results of the mayoral election won’t be available until later this week, most likely Friday or Saturday.

This is a nonpartisan election, but if you’re curious, no one won the backing of the St. Paul DFL this summer. Dickinson has the backing of the Green Party. Holbrook did not seek an endorsement from the state Libertarian Party, which he chairs. There was no Republican endorsement process.

Most of the 10 candidates in the St. Paul mayor’s race responded to our invitation to submit brief bios for a voter’s guide, which is available at TwinCities.com/StPcandidates.

But wait, there’s more! Links to every article we’ve published on this race are at TwinCities.com/StPmayor. They include profiles of 9 of the 10 candidates. Anderson, who has run for elected office almost annually for 27 years, needs less introduction.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting each of these candidates and breaking bread with most of them. In any election, there’s always someone who sees local office as nothing more than a steppingstone to state or national office — someone who wants to be mayor so they can become a U.S. Congressman or governor, for instance.

With these candidates, I sensed that personal ambition came a distant second to a sincere love and concern for the city they hope to lead.

This wasn’t an easy to race to cover, but we tried our best to honor the responsibility. (Did I mention 65 articles over the past year?) We welcome feedback on what we could do better as future elections unfold. While I can’t answer every email, I try my best to. You can always reach me at fmelo@pioneerpress.com. See you at the polls!

Frederick Melo was once sued by a reader for $2 million but kept on writing. He came to the Pioneer Press in 2005 and brings a testy East Coast attitude to St. Paul beat reporting. He spent nearly six years covering crime in the Dakota County courts before switching focus to the St. Paul mayor's office, city council, and all things neighborhood-related, from the city's churches to its parks and light rail. A resident of Hamline-Midway, he is married to a Frogtown woman. He Tweets with manic intensity at @FrederickMelo.

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